


When the Heart Knows and the Mind Wants

by Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Betrayal, Deals, Ford Pines Has Issues, Ford Pines Needs a Hug, Ford Pines is a Jerk, Greek Gods Help/Interact with Stan Pines, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Guilt, Guilty Ford Pines, Lots of Angst, Magic, Stan Meets Greek Gods, Stan Pines Goes Through The Portal, Stan Pines Has Issues, Stan Pines Loses An Arm, Stan Pines Needs A Hug, Stangst, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2019-10-18 00:31:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17570855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale/pseuds/Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale
Summary: "Ford, help!"Ford began to reach out but then hesitated. For a brief moment relief washed over him as he realized this might be an answer. But the anger faded and he realized what he was contemplating, but it was too late. When he reached over it was nothing but air. Dread filled him as he saw Stan fall before a monster zoomed past, slowing Stanley's fall, but ripping his arm off for a snack.Ford does his best to help Stanley not die but his pride still keeps him from giving Stan the forgiveness and acceptance he wants.But Stan doesn't want it anymore. Stan is so broken...so tired...so angry...he's very heartbroken. Such heartache attracts Aphrodite and Stan makes a deal. He'll literally give Aphrodite that powerful devotion of love he had for his brother in exchange for his arm back.  Facing Ford and helping him stop Bill is easier if he has two arms and no heart.





	1. Hermes

"Ain't ya going in too?" Stan asked the man. 

They both watched the mother and son embraced before the door closed. Stan looked back at the man who was looking at the house with a smile. It was happy, but not excited. Content might be the better word. 

It turned into an easy going smile as he faced Stan and shook his head, "I'm his father, not his dad."

It was a confusing statement before Stan saw a man through the window embrace the woman and the child. ' _Ah_ ,' Stan thought. "Your kid take after you in the whole...thief thing?"

The man chuckled and puffed out his chest in pride, "Naturally."

"Not most people would be proud of that," Stan commented. 

"I'm not most people. Which is why I'm even here still."

"What does that mean?" Stan asked.

"You saved my boy, Stanley. It means a lot. I couldn't intervene but I'm glad someone did. I'm in your debt."

"Not that it's easy to put a price on a kid...but how much we talkin' here?" Part of him felt bad for actually being ready to take money for saving a kid. But he was more than broke and was in huge debt. 

The man smirked, "I work in favors, Stanley. And I owe you one."

"Huh...guess that can come in handy. So, what? You gonna give me your number and it'll work as a 'get out of jail free' card or something? Do you got that kinda power?" 

The man barked out a laugh, "The law and I are...well, I'll leave that as a mystery. But I assure you Stan...when the time comes and you need help, I'll get you outta trouble." 

Stan shrugged. It was one of the weirdest conversations he's had in a while. Not number one but pretty up there. And then he remembered he never told the guy his name. "Who are you anyway? You never said." 

"Name's Hermes. Now if you'll excuse me...I got a message to deliver." 

* * *

"You ruined your own life!" Ford yelled at him before he kicked Stan into the side of the control panel, branding the symbol onto his back. Stan screamed and fell to the floor.  

"Oh gosh, Stanl-" Ford's panicked cry was cut short as Stan bolted up and shoved Ford as hard as he could. Ignoring the pain on his shoulder he and Ford began to fight again. Whatever flash of guilt Ford felt vanished as Stan pulled the journal away from Ford and began to use it to hit him. 

Ford grabbed onto the journal and they were each tugging on it with all of their might. Stan tried to get it again, but Ford tugged really hard and the book slipped from Stan's fingers. Ford fell backward and landed in the gravitational pull around the portal's opening. Stan, still in a rage, lunged at Ford again getting himself pulled into the gravitational pull as well. 

"What the hell?" Stan asked, anger leaving him for a moment when he realized he was floating. "Ford, what's going on?"

"Oh no! No, no, no!" Ford was frantic as he tried to swim away and escape the pull. 

Stan imitated his brother but the noise and activity of the portal began to speed up and before either brother knew it, a blind light flashed and pulled them through to the other side. 

* * *

 

Ford wakes to find himself in a nightmarish realm. Panic overwhelms him for a moment and he's nearly brought to tears as he realizes what this means. He's failed. In the worst way possible. 

Bill could destroy his world. 

"Ugh..."

He looks over and sees Stan getting up. Red fills his vision as he lunges at his brother and they continue their fight. Ford grabs Stan by the front of his jacket and glares, "You _idiot_!" He barks out and shakes his twin. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Do you even realize? Do you even care?"

Once Stan grabs his bearings he grabs Ford's hands and pushes back, glaring back in retaliation. "What I've done? This has nothing to do with me!" 

"No- _nothing_? Stanley _everything_ about this is _your_ fault! You ruined my chances to get into my dream school! You threw me off the road to success and happiness and on the way of finding my way back I made a deal with the devil and now our whole universe is in peril! And all because...because...you couldn't grow up! Because you didn't have a future! Because you were never gonna be _half_ as good as me and so you _ruined_ me!" 

Stan's lips quivered at the words that came out of his twin's mouth. It wasn't like he's never heard them before...but they were from his father or his teachers. But never Ford. 

Not being able to take rejection like this well at all, Stan does the only thing he could. Fight. With tears blurring his vision, he lunges forward, hoping to land a painful punch on Ford's face that would equal the pain in his chest. He missed though, as Ford step aside. Good as well because nothing was as painful as the feelings inside of him right now. 

Or so he thought. 

Stan's lunge was too strong and with nothing to stop it, he fell forward towards the edge of the asteroid they were fighting on. Stan tirled as he tried to get some balance so he was facing Ford again. Fear etched into his face, he reached out for his brother. 

"Ford, help!" 

Ford began to reach out but then hesitated. For a brief moment relief washed over him as he realized this might be an answer. But the anger faded and he realized what he was contemplating, but it was too late. When he reached over it was nothing but air. Dread filled him as he saw Stan fall before a monster zoomed past, slowing Stanley's fall, but ripping his arm off for a snack.

 "Oh god...what have I done?" Ford muttered in despair.

When he got over his shock he began to make his way down and tried to reach Stan, but the pool of blood that got bigger terrified him. "I'm coming, Lee! Please...please don't..." A sob broke through him, "Stanley!" 

As he reached his twin, he also heard the grumble and growling of more approaching monsters. He failed the world, he didn't save his brother, and now he'd die in a nightmare realm. 

He barely only touched Stan before there was another blinding light and the feeling of going through the portal happened again. Blinking his vision back in place, he looked around and realized he was back in his basement. The portal was on the fritz but off...maybe it was just a dream?

" ** _AAAAHHHHH_**!!!!"  

"Stanley!" Ford cried out before going into survival mode. The amount of blood was horrifying, the panic he felt didn't let him think clearly, so he acted. He grabbed a piece of metal and use an incantation to heat it up the metal to the point where he could cauterize the wound. Stan's screams got louder as it was done and he lost consciousness soon after.

The smell of burning flesh and the guilt made Ford puke. 

Ford took a moment to breathe and wrap his head around what he needed to do. The portal seemed closed for the moment, so Stan took precedence. He looked around but even with all the knowledge and equipment he had, Stan needed better and more proper care.  He himself wasn't unscathed and he was exhausted. Getting Stan to the hospital would be near to impossible but he couldn't call an ambulance and risk people seeing this. 

There was one person left he could call. 

_"F-Ford?"_

"Fiddleford...I need your help."

_"I...I d-don't think I-"_

"It's not about the portal! My brother... _please_...please just come over!" 

_"...I'll be t-there in twenty m-minutes."_

* * *

 

 _"_ Holy mother! Ford, what in tarnation happened?!" Fiddleford demanded. 

"It's a long story...please, he lost a lot of blood," Ford said lifting the upper half of his brother. While he waited for Fiddleford to arrive he made a make-shift stretcher that'll make it easier for them to carry. 

"Why didn't you call 911?" Fiddleford asked as he took the other half and together got Stan onto the stretcher. 

"I can't risk people coming in here and seeing this!" Ford insisted. 

As much as he knew that Ford had a very valid point, the state that his twin was in made it hard to agree. But he was there now and they couldn't wait any longer. With difficulty and nearly dropping Stan twice, they got him topside and into Fiddleford's truck. 

The ride to the hospital was a quiet and very tense ride. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ford did his best to explain to the doctors who came to take Stan away what had happened. Only in the most technical of ways. He didn’t include parts about his machines, or a nightmare realm, or a demon, or anything about a stupid brotherly feud. 

 

Stan regained some consciousness and began to scream in agony, which pulled the doctor’s attention away from Ford. Seeing his chance to slip away, Ford snuck out. Since Fiddleford was the one to give him a ride, he was going to walk back to his house. 

 

“Ford!” 

 

Ford didn’t stop. He had things to do. He had no idea how the hell they got back without the portal. Assuming this wasn’t some elaborate mind game, then he had very little time to work with. Seeing the chaos that awaited on the other side steeled his reserve and he had to do his best to take down the portal before Bill could use it. 

 

“Ford! Where the heck are ya goin’?” Fiddleford ran to catch up to him. 

 

“I have work to do,” Ford muttered. 

 

Fiddleford stopped for a moment and stared at the other in disbelief before he jogged up to him again. He ran the last few steps to get in front of him and force the other to stop. “Yer brother is in the hospital. He  _ lost _ an arm! Ford, he needs ya.” 

 

Stanley needs him? Heh. Of course, Stanley needs him. He can’t seemly do anything without him apparently. “My brother’s only capable of failure.”

 

Fiddleford knew Ford to be… socially awkward. Heck, he was too. But he wasn’t cold or uncaring. “Ya don’t mean that,” Fiddleford muttered. 

 

Ford stopped and turned to face Fiddleford in a rage. “Why  _ not _ ?  _ Why _ can’t anyone ever believe that Stanley’s a fucking screw up? We went through the portal, Fiddleford! We went through  _ because _ of him! He  _ didn’t _ listen and he nearly cost us the universe!” 

 

“How' re ya here then?” Fiddleford asked. 

 

“I don’t know! I don’t know and it’s terrifying! It could all be part of his plan! I just… I need your memory gun.” Fiddleford told him. 

 

“ _ What _ ?” 

 

“People, even here in Gravity Falls, are gonna ask questions about Stan’s injury. I can’t have the police or anything of the like coming to search my home. I need it to go after the doctors and staff here and make sure they don’t go snooping around where they don’t belong!” 

 

Fiddleford was really concerned about his old friend’s mental state. He was also concerned about his friend’s very injured brother. But having worked on the machine alongside Fiddleford and seen what horrors were on the other side, he agreed that having innocent people lurking around something as unstable as that wasn’t a good idea. 

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

 

“I’m not!” Fiddleford declared. “It’s my invention and I know how to use it best. And besides, look at you...you’re covered in his blood. Go home and shower. Change into something that doesn’t look like a horror house. Come back after you’ve had somethin’ to eat. I’ll deal with the staff.” 

 

Ford's eyes Fiddleford carefully before allowing it. He didn’t fully trust it and would double- no  _ triple- _ reinforce the security of his basement just in case. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

“Yikes. I’ve seen some stuff in my day, but that’s totally up there.” Apollo said as he watched from the other side of the glass as a team of doctors worked on Stan’s arm. 

 

“Yes, the fangs of whatever bit him were quite poisonous. The transportation back also didn’t really help.” Hermes said with a frown. 

 

“You sure you want to call a favor from me for this?” Apollo asked. 

 

Hermes nodded. 

 

“Since it happened in another dimension that’s not our own, I don’t have full domain. And that creatures’ poison is powerful. I can keep him from dying and his flesh from rotting, but I can’t replace his arm.” Apollo explained. 

 

“Understood.”

 

“What is it about him?” Apollo asked as he raised his hand to heal Stan. None of the mortal staff being any of the wiser. 

 

Hermes shrugged. “He’s very human. The extreme of human love and devotion and passion. His being is like a drug. And he’s a thief. A con man.”

 

Apollo smirked, “How could you resist? Well...it’s done. He’ll live. But... “

 

“Yeah.” Hermes knew what he meant. His life was hard before, but now it was only going to be harder. “What about his mind?” 

 

“One miracle per mortal, Hermes. I healed his body. Whatever mess his mind’s in after being in that realm? I don’t think even I can do much about it.” Apollo told him. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“S’anfo’d… Sta’fd…” Stanley muttered in his brief moments of consciousness. The pain was intense, but the fear overwhelmed him most. 

 

He was so scared. He wanted Stanford. He needed his brother! 

 

“He’ll be here…” Fiddleford promised as he gave Stan another dose of morphine. 

 

Tucking his memory gun into his inner jacket pocket he frowned at the state Ford’s twin was in. It was eerie seeing someone with his friend’s face who wasn’t Ford. Sure before their fingers would be the only thing that separated them but now… 

 

Fiddleford’s fingers hovered over the shoulder where the limb was cut off. He did his best to examine it. There was a sickly sweet smell that came to him that he was sure wasn’t from any of the equipment or medicine used. 

 

“Fa...Fo’d…” Stan mumbled before the painkillers knocked him out. 

 

It broke Fiddleford’s heart to see anyone like this. Alone and scared after an ordeal in that nightmare hell. He looked at the clock and waited for Stanford to show up. Ten minutes to turned to half an hour, and half an hour turned into an hour. 

 

He hated leaving Stanley alone, but he had to go see what the heck was holding Stanford up! He gave the nurse the number to his pager so they could reach him for an emergency. Fiddleford hoped there wouldn’t be one as he made his way to Ford’s place.  

 

When he got there the door was locked and it took Ford a long while to answer the door. When he did, he looked a bit crazed. 

 

“Oh, it’s you... “

 

“Who else would it be?” Fiddleford asked. 

 

Ford still checked his eyes, and Fiddleford couldn’t blame him. Bill still being a threat was on his mind, but his worry over understanding what the heck happened won over for now. 

 

“Did you take care of the staff?” Ford asked as he made his way back inside. 

 

Fiddleford hated being back in the basement, and the added pool of drying blood didn’t help matters, but he swallowed it down. “It’s handled.”

 

“Good. I’ve been doing some readings on the machines. They’ve short-circuited so they’re all off… zero power. There’s no logical way we should be back… but everything seems to be… okay.” Ford said in a too calm voice. 

 

“Okay?  _ Okay _ ? Ford, your brother’s in the  _ hospital _ !  _ Without _ one of his arms!” 

 

Ford’s features darkened, “Eventually he’d have to pay for his recklessness.” 

 

“Pay for his- are you outta yer dang ol’ mind?” Fiddleford demanded. 

 

Ford wasn’t sitting still. He moved from one part of machinery to another as he checked readings and parts. “I’ve never been clearer in thought.”

 

Or more in denial. 

 

The same fear Fiddleford saw in Stan’s eyes in semi-unconsciousness knowing he was hurt, thinking he was alone, calling out to the only person he trusts. Ford on a good day was emotionally constipated...nearly losing his brother and being there and unable to stop his brother from being hurt, was pushing Ford into denial. Not wanting to sub come to fear, he decided to go with anger… or cold indifference. 

 

“Yer brother’s scared, Stanford. He’s hurt an’ he’s scared. He needs ya…” Fiddleford said gently. 

 

Ford scoffed. “He needs me… what my brother needs is help. But he’s too far gone for it to make any difference. He’s with those who can help him. The machine takes precedence.” 

 

“...I know you’re scared. He’s gonna be okay. And when you realize yer feelin’s… I’ll be with him till then.” Fiddleford paused to see if Stanford was going to come with him then. Ford paused for a moment before he went back to work. Fiddleford sighed. Stanford was as stubborn as ever. 


End file.
